TSAMTO, January 25th. The Indonesian company PT PAL announced the laying of the keel of the third DVKD (also known as SSV – Strategic Sealift Vessel), intended for the Philippine Navy.
According to Jane's Defense Weekly, the event took place on January 22 at the PT PAL shipbuilding facility in Surabaya. At the same time, steel cutting began for the second DVKD ordered by the Philippine Navy. The ceremony was attended by the Deputy Commander of the Philippine Navy, Rear Admiral Caesar Bernard N. Valencia.
Currently, the Philippine Navy already has two Tarlac-class PT PAL DVKDs in service, which were adopted in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
As reported by CAMTO, the purchase of two additional DVKDs for the Philippine Navy is carried out as part of the second stage ("Second Horizon" / Second Horizon) of the "Philippine Armed Forces Modernization Program" (RAFPMP).
On June 14, 2019, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines for the first time published a request for a tender for the supply of two DVKDs for the country's Navy. The project budget was 5.56 billion rubles. pesos. The tender ended unsuccessfully. Later, the competition was repeatedly resumed. Once again, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines resumed the competition in October 2021. The decision to choose PT PAL as the winner was made in early June 2022.
The contract for the construction of two DVKDs for the Philippine fleet under the improved Tarlak DVKD project was signed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines and the Indonesian state-owned company PT PAL on June 22, 2022. The cutting ceremony of the first steel for the head of the two ordered DVKDs took place on August 10, 2023. As planned, the launch of the ship will take place in 2025, and delivery in 2026.
According to PT PAL, the length of the new ships will be 124 m, width – 21.8 m, standard displacement – 7,200 tons, full – 11583 tons. The DVKD will be equipped with two diesel engines with a capacity of 3,915 hp (2,920 kW), estimated maximum speed – 16 knots, range – 9360 nautical miles, autonomy – 30 days. Each ship will be able to use two multipurpose amphibious assault boats (LCUs) and two rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB), as well as carry two medium helicopters. It is assumed that the DVCD will be able to be used in case of sea waves up to 6 points.
The new ships are 1 meter longer than the Tarlak-class DVKDs, which are 123 m long. The reasons for the increase in the total length are not disclosed.
The ships will be built in the "adapted, but not equipped" configuration, which provides for the possibility of installation after delivery of the 76-mm AU Oto Melara Super Rapid, two 25-mm or 30-mm DUMV SMASH from ASELSAN (Turkey), ZAK, 8 12.7-mm machine guns and the C-Guard false target launch system the Danish company Terma.
In addition, the contractor must provide logistical support for the delivered systems.
Currently, the Philippine Navy has two Tarlak-class amphibious helicopter dock ships with a total displacement of 11583 tons, built by PT PAL under a contract signed in 2014 on the basis of the Makassar-class DVKD project developed by South Korean Dae Sun Shipbuilding. The ships were purchased as part of the first phase of the Philippine Armed Forces Modernization Program (First Horizon). The Tarlac DVCD was adopted in June 2016, and the Davayu del Sur in May 2017.
